The Relationship of the Salaf with the Quran in Ramadan

Let us emulate two actions of the Salaf (righteous predecessors) that were the cause of numerous blessings in Ramadan:

a- Reciting the Quran more frequently.

b- Weeping during recitation or when listening to the Quran in submissiveness to Allah.

a- Reciting the Quran more frequently: The month of Ramadan is the month of the Quran. A Muslim should therefore increase his recitation of the Quran during this month. The Salaf used to pay particular attention to the Book of Allah. The angel Jibreel (Gabriel), may Allah exalt his mention, used to review the Quran with the Prophet, , during Ramadan. ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan, may Allah be pleased with him, used to complete reciting the Quran once each day. Some of the Salaf also completed the Quran in their voluntary night prayer every three nights. Others completed it every seven nights, while some others completed it every ten nights. They used to recite the Quran during prayers and at other times.

During Ramadan, Ash-Shaafi‘i, , completed reciting the Quran sixty times, excluding prayer times. Qataadah, , regularly completed the Quran within seven nights, while during Ramadan, he completed it every three nights, but in the last ten days of Ramadan, he completed it every night. When Ramadan came, Az-Zuhri, , left studying the Hadeeth and teaching and he concentrated on reciting the Quran. When Ramadan came, Sufyaan Ath-Thawri, , left all other acts of worship and concentrated on the Quran.

Ibn Rajab, , said, "It was reported from the Prophet that the Quran may not be completed in less than three days by those who recite it regularly. As for the blessed times such as Ramadan, especially during the nights of seeking Laylat-ul-Qadr or when in holy places such as Makkah for those not inhabiting it, it is recommended that the recitation of the Quran be increased in order to benefit from the blessings of the time and place. This is the opinion of Ahmad, Is-haaq and other prominent scholars. As we indicated earlier, the actions of other scholars also support this view.”

b- Weeping during the recitation of the Quran: It was not reported from the Salaf that they chanted the Quran like poetry without pondering and reflecting on its meanings; rather, they were moved by the words of Allah The Almighty, and they in turn changed the hearts of others with it. ‘Abdullaah ibn Mas‘ood, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated, "The Messenger of Allah said to me: 'Recite (the Quran) to me.' I said, 'How shall I recite it to you while it was revealed to you?' He said: 'I like to hear it from others.' So I recited the Soorah of An-Nisaa’ till I reached the verse (which means): {How (will it be) then, when We bring from each nation a witness and We bring you (O Muhammad) as a witness against these people?} [Quran 4:41] So the Prophet said: 'Stop.' I turned to him and found him shedding tears." [Al-Bukhari]

Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated, "When the verse in which Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Then at this statement do you wonder? And you laugh and do not weep} [Quran 53:59-60] was revealed, the people of Suffah (poor people who resided in the courtyard of the Prophet's mosque) wept until tears ran down their cheeks. When the Prophet heard their weeping, he wept with them and his weeping made us weep. The Messenger of Allah said: 'The person who weeps in humility to Allah will not enter Hell.' [Al-Bayhaqi]

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, recited the Chapter Al-Mutaffifeen until he reached the verse in which Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {The Day when mankind will stand before the Lord of the worlds?} [Quran 83: 6] He wept until he fell to the ground and could not move on to the next verse.

Muzaahim ibn Zufar, , related, "Sufyan Ath-Thawri lead us in the Maghrib prayer, and when he reached the verse in which Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {It is You we worship and You we ask for help.} [Quran 1: 5] he wept and this disrupted his recitation. So he started from Alhamdulillah (the first verse of the Chapter) again."

It was narrated that Ibraaheem ibn Al-Ash‘ath, , said, "One night, I heard Fudhayl reciting and repeating the verse from the Chapter Muhammad in which Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And We will surely test you until We make evident those who strive among you [for the cause of Allah] and the patient, and We will test your affairs.} [Quran 47:31] He kept on (repeating) the words of Allah, 'And We will test your affairs', then he would say, 'And You will test our affairs? If You test our affairs, You will disgrace us and expose our secrets. Indeed if You do that, You will destroy us and punish us,' and he would weep."